Shinde draws flak for felicitation by murder accused

Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde landed himself in yet another controversy on Saturday after he was felicitated by a murder accused at a function in Solapur, which is his own constituency.

Shinde was felicitated by Shankar Mhetre, who is accused of opening fire on an election campaign rally of the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) in Akkalkot constituency in Solapur in 2009, in which one person was killed and several others were injured.

The case is still pending before the Solapur magistrate court against the accused, who is the brother of former Congress minister Siddharam Mhetre. The latter was the minister of state for home during the time of the shooting, and he had to step down from his position after the incident following wide-spread agitation.

The incident had created a lot of tension in the region, leading to agitations calling for Mhetre’s arrest. The Solapur police named Mhetre as the prime accused along with others.

The function on Saturday was for the inauguration of a sugar factory in Solapur for which Shinde was invited.